This New Year it seems that, yet again, everyone is making resolutions. Do you have a resolution for 2014 but aren’t sure how to see it through? Choosing a method or strategy for reaching your goals can be overwhelming. Not to worry, though, Source Centre is here to help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions. Read on for a list of common New Year resolutions, and what Source Centre can do to help you accomplish your goals for 2014. Lose Weight and Get Fit As the most common New Year resolution, the commitment to getting fit is the reason why it is impossible to snag a treadmill at the gym the first few months of the year. Everyone is there with the same goal, trying to lose weight and get into shape. Source Centre would like to offer other options besides the gym, where you don’t have to fight over gym equipment or a space to lay down your mat. Join us at Source Centre every Monday night at 7:30pm for Yoga with Leila. Starting January 9th, every Thursday Source Centre will also be hosting a Pilates class with Alwynn Taylor at 8:00am. Quit Smoking Quitting smoking is no easy task, especially after holiday stress. Add in the short dark days of winter, and the constant cold, and quitting smoking may seem virtually impossible. However, studies have shown that chiropractic therapy can help dissolve addiction. Brain function relies on normal structural integrity and joint movement in the spine. An abnormal position or movement of spinal vertebra can lead to nerve interference, distorting communication between the spinal cord and brain. Known as “vertebral subluxation,” it is this disruption between the brain and the spinal cord that chiropractic work focuses on. These subluxations interfere with the brain’s reward system, resulting in the need for an individual to escape undesirable feelings such as withdrawal from nicotine. At Source Centre our chiropractors Dr. Leo Quan and Dr. Allison Barriscale can help you quit smoking by restoring your spine and inner reward system to it’s full functioning state. Eat Healthier and Diet This New Year resolution has the potential to actually do your body more harm than good. It is important not to confuse eating healthier with eating less, but rather eating more nutritious foods and less empty calories with minimal nutritional value. Whether your desire to eat healthier stems from wanting to lose weight, gain weight, reduce disease risk, or live with a food allergy, our nutrition services can provide the support you need to successfully accomplish your New Year resolution. For nutritional counseling, contact Nutritionist, Fumie Yamaguchi , or our Naturopath, Tara Andresen. Get More Sleep Getting enough sleep is an essential part of keeping your body healthy. Not only is sleep crucial for brain function and memory consolidation, but lack of sleep can lead to undesired weight gain. How can Source Centre help? Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI) connects the body’s inner rhythms with focused attention, gentle breath, movement and touch. By expanding your body awareness you can help your body relax, helping you not only to fall asleep, but to also sleep more deeply. Still not quite sure what SRI is? Join Source Centre January 15th, January 29th, and February 13th for introductory workshops to SRI. Be Less Stressed Reducing your stress level goes hand-in-hand with getting more sleep. If your goal is to be less stressed in 2014, Source Centre has a variety of services that can help you achieve your objective. Need a stress management plan? Source Centre will be hosting a Stress Management workshopon January 15th at 7:30pm....

The cold weather and holiday season is fast approaching. Picturing yourself in front of the fireplace? Wrapping yourself in warm blankets while holding a mug of hot chocolate? Have you imagined yourself skating at the ice rink or putting on the skis? To make the most of winter, try these 11 tips to stay healthy, energetic and connected. 1. Moisturize – we all know to moisturize our hands and face in the colder drier weather, but did you know to moisturize the inside of your nose? Moisturizing your nose with vaseline or another non-absorbing moisturizer can protect your nasal membranes and keep you from catching a cold virus. 2. Take Vitamin D – Unless you live below the 50th parallel, you don’t get enough sunshine from October to April to keep your Vitamin D in a healthy range. It’s safe to take 2000 IU daily of Vitamin D. It’s an important vitamin that is good for a healthy immune system, healthy bones, energy, and more. Read more about the health benefits here. 3. Take Vitamin C – I’ve caught the cold virus a number of times this year and was able to fight it off with high doses of Vitamin C. I’ve taken as much at 2500mg with each meal, 3 times a day just when I started to notice symptoms and have been able to bounce back overnight. 4. See your chiropractor – As the temperature dips, it’s more likely for our joints and muscles to ache. Chances are your nervous system is under stress too. Regular visits to a Network Spinal Analysis Chiropractor can do wonders to teach your body-mind to release tension and experience greater vitality. 5. Learn something new – Spending time outdoors may be scarce these days, so why not use the extra time to learn a new activity or skill? This is your chance to exercise your mind and body and prepare yourself for the new year. 6. Be with friends and family – Health is more than mind and body. It’s the quality of your friendships and family ties. Spend time celebrating the season with your loved ones and notice how alive you feel when you’re surrounded by those you love and those who love you back. Bonus points for meeting new people, making new friends or starting a new relationship! 7. Practice your faith – Do you believe in something greater? Ever wondered if you had a life purpose? Spending time in meditation, prayer or worship can be rejuvenating and help you with gain focus, direction and certainty in life. 8. Break a sweat – The colder months make it easier to stay inside and away from the gym. This is your chance to practice Tip #5 Learn something new. Make this season your opportunity to have a new winter activity or sport. Maybe it’s living room yoga? Perhaps it’s your existing outdoor activity but with a twist… 9. Bundle up and Layer up – If this is your very first winter of outdoor physical activity, consider an investment in warm clothing. Modern day outdoor active wear has really made it possible to manage heat, cold and moisture while you move around! 10. Breathe – The holidays can be a stressful time of year. Somato Respiratory Integration is an effective way to breathe mindfully and get connected to the peace and strength within. It’s easy to learn and can quickly bring down tension and stress. 11. Enjoy the change – How monotonous would it be if we had no change in seasons? I don’t know about you, but I like bringing out the warmer sweaters,...

(Image: ‘Red Bean Black Bean Rice Grain’ by khunaspix/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net) Whether you have been told by a practitioner, or simply heard the recommendation on a TV advertisement, it is likely that you are not consuming enough fibre in your daily diet. The average North American does not consume enough fibre in their diet. The recommendation is to consume roughly 28 grams of fibre per day, but North Americans tend to consume just half that. Too little fibre in the diet can cause digestive problems as well as more serious problems if levels are consistently low. There are two basic types of fibre, insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to your diet and aids in normal bowel movements and colon health. Whole grains, bran, nuts, fruits and vegetables are good sources of insoluble fibres. Soluble fibre is found in oats, beans, peas, apples and other fruit, and berries. It has been shown to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. Fibre’s effects have also widely been studied in what is termed the “second meal effect” of dietary fibre. The second meal effect states that consuming a fibre rich meal not only increases satiety at the time of consumption, but it also has the potential to decrease the blood glucose response in the next meal. This is to say that consuming fibre will make the body more responsive to insulin in a subsequent meal, therefore clearing blood glucose (sugar) from the meal more readily for efficient usage. There are some simple ways to increase your fibre consumption. Read food labels to see whether or not the food has added fibre benefits. Chose whole grain breads, and add vegetables to your meals. Top salads with beans and nuts. When consuming more fibre than normal, it is important to consume plenty of liquids in an effort to minimize gastrointestinal discomfort. Looking for some help in getting on track with your nutrition? A nutritionist can...

(Image: ‘Airport’ by africa/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net) Holiday season is fast approaching and for some of us this means traveling. Looking to keep eating healthy while traveling? It’s not as difficult at it may seem at first. We’re pleased to have guest blogger , Cole Millen, share his experiences and insights in this blog. Thanks, Cole! Avoiding Airport Dietary Disasters Whether you’re traveling for pleasure or business, if you’ve established a healthy diet, the last thing you want to do is ruin it. Unfortunately, airports are a smorgasbord of tasty but unhealthy foods designed to tempt hungry people with little time to spare. When faced with everything from sugary lattes to fresh-baked cinnamon buns, it can be a challenge to resist such indulgence. Fortunately, by taking the proper steps, you can reduce the temptation and maintain your health and figure. Here are some of the ways that you can avoid airport dietary disasters. Eat Before You Leave Going to the airport hungry is a lot like going to the store hungry – it’s not a wise decision. Hunger drives impulsiveness, making you much more likely to eat things you know you shouldn’t. It’s always better to eat before leaving for the airport. If you’re really pressed for time before your trip, consider preparing something the night before. Anything you make at home is virtually guaranteed to be healthier and more satisfying than anything you’ll find at airport restaurants. Bring Your Own Food If you’re on a long-haul flight, you’re probably going to get hungry at some point. While most airlines provide meals and snacks for such trips, they’re not usually the healthiest fare. For this reason, it’s recommended that you bring your own foods that fit your dietary needs and preferences. Sandwiches, salads, cereal bars, nuts, dried or fresh fruit, jerky and yogurt are all fantastic options. Do Your Homework Once you’ve found out which airport you’ll be departing from, do a search online to see what kinds of restaurants it harbors. Also learn about the restaurants and hotels in the nearby area. You never know when you are going to be stuck over night on a layover. I had a flight cancelled recently while I was in Boston after a Red Sox game and thought I was in a trouble. I did a quick search and found a great list of hotels and restaurants in Boston that could cater to the health conscious. Researching everything is extremely important. By doing this, you’ll be better able to gauge the availability of health-conscious menu items. Steer clear of places serving junk foods, barbecue, fried foods and other health nightmares. You’re much better off with places that serve Mediterranean fare, salads, soups and lean meats. Drink Plenty of Water Many people don’t realize that thirst can be mistaken for hunger, and they eat needlessly as a result. Meanwhile, what your body really wants is water, so it’s important that you stay properly hydrated on your trip. Unfortunately, recent security measures forbid you from bringing more than three ounces of liquid through the terminal gates. To make matters worse, you can expect to pay an obscene amount of money for a bottle of water once you’re on the plane. That said, there is one way around this problem. Simply bring an empty bottle and fill it in the restroom or from a water fountain once you’ve gone through security. Get Some Exercise Sitting around waiting for your flight can drive you to eat out of boredom, which is the worst dietary mistake you can make. Instead of sitting there and snacking needlessly, get up...

On Saturday, November 23 we are co-hosting a full day healing intensive event called a Clear Day. Clear Days are the most transformative and powerful healing events I have ever been a part of and an incredible opportunity to bust through old patterns and step into something new. Having hosted 7 Clear Days to now, I am still amazed, inspired and thrilled about what happens for people at the event and beyond. Clear Days happen at a location external to our regular office environment. We spend a full day in a community of like minded, open hearted people focused on healing and growth. Doing healing work in community is a powerful way to create growth, far faster than we can do one-on-one. We share both consciously and unconsciously with others in our healing process; just think about how you often get more out of doing a group yoga class, meditation, or exercise. Clear Days are inspired by the work of Dr. Donald Epstein who gave us the wonderful gift of the chiropractic technique called Network Spinal Analysis and the body/breath technique called Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI). At Clear Days we have 3 “entrainment” sessions interspersed with SRI and other body centered workshops to enhance the process and add to the learning. An “entrainment” is the word we use for the chiropractic care we provide which is designed to help your body connect and release it’s own tension and generate alignment and self healing. At the upcoming Clear Day we will have 5 chiropractors working at once during the entrainment session with up to 15 people on the tables at once. The group effect of doing this entrainment together provides a powerful synergy to help people create healing and learning that is not available day to do in the office. Throughout the day we will go on a journey through the “Seasons of Wellbeing”. Our first entrainment focuses on the strategies of the season of “Discover”, where we can be authentic with ourselves, learn where we may be running from pain or problems in our lives and we get more connected to our bodies and emotions. In the second entrainment we embrace the season of “Transform” where we can claim our personal power, commit to making changes in our lives and move into action. The final entrainment embodies the season of “Awaken” where we move into heart space and experience expansiveness, gratitude, joy, and acceptance to inspire us to be all that we can be in our lives. This Clear Day’s theme is “Get into Your Groove”. Our theme is designed to help you learn more about what groove you are living in your life at this time, where you want to be and how to get into your groove and flow of your life day to day by living in the moment and being authentic with yourself and your life. We want to help you find your groove and groove with your life and with others in a way that feels, effortless, fun and enlivening. If you would like to learn more or get involved please call our office at (416) 923-4325. Come groove with...